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Note: There are currently three streetcar projects
in development in the Metro DC area. This page covers the DC Streetcar
being developed by DDOT. We are developing pages on the other two initiatives,
for now check out these links to the Columbia
Pike Streetcar and the Crystal
City-Potomac Yard Streetcar proposals.
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT)
has initiated construction on two streetcar lines, H St/ Benning Rd and
the Anacostia Initial Line Segment. DDOT
is also conducting detailed planning for two extensions. DDOT has also
completed the DC Transit Future System Plan – the District’s first
comprehensive streetcar system plan, envisioning an ultimate build-out of
eight lines that blanket the city.
The DC Streetcar is the product of over a
decade long series of studies and plans beginning in 1997 with the
completion of the Transportation Vision, Strategy and Action Plan by
the District Department of Public Works. The 1997 plan identified the
continued need for better internal cross‐town
travel by transit. The plan also identified the key corridors that would
benefit from increased transit investment. In 2001, the DC Transit
Development Study further assessed the feasibility of the candidate
corridors for high‐capacity
transit investment.
In 2003, DDOT initiated the DC’s
Transit Future (DCTF) System Plan and Alternatives Analysis (AA)
which consisted of a comprehensive assessment and evaluation of
alternative modes and levels of investment in 14 corridors across the
District. The evaluation compared the performance of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
and streetcar modes to no‐build
options in each of the system corridors. The evaluation considered more
than 30 individual measures that addressed the following four primary
goals established for the project:
- Improve Access and Mobility
- Encourage Community and Economic Development
- Enhance System Performance
- Promote Environmental Quality
A key goal of the multi‐corridor,
multi‐modal
system plan was to identify additional connections between the existing
Metrobus and Metrorail lines and between key activity centers within the
District. The process resulted in an integrated system of
recommended transit service investments in the District, including
combinations of streetcar, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and enhanced bus
service in appropriate corridors. The DCTF
System Plan and Alternatives Analysis (AA) was
substantially completed in 2005 and updated in 2008 and 2010. Implementation
of the recommended streetcar element of the plan was divided into three
major phases. The District is currently constructing two Phase 1 streetcar
projects: H Street / Benning Road and the Anacostia Initial Line
Segment (see below).
Wireless Operation
Plans call for the DC streetcar system to introduce
large-scale wireless streetcar operation to North American transit
systems. The streetcar will utilize overhead wires on the first two lines
The District has already
purchased three conventionally-powered Skoda-Inekon streetcars, using an option
from an earlier Portland Streetcar contract. Historically, a large portion of the District's original
streetcar system (converted to buses by 1962) was operated with an
underground conduit system, the streetcars switching to overhead wire when
they reached the outer parts of the District.
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Streetcar
simulation: H Street
Source:
DDOT
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Streetcar
simulation: Benning RoadSource:
DDOT |
H / Benning
cross sections
Source:
DDOT
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Proposed DC
Streetcar system.
Source:
DDOT
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One of the District's new streetcars was
placed on display during 2010 to provide a preview for local
residents and civic leaders. Photos: Beyond DC
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H St / Benning
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The H Street / Benning Road corridor hosts the region’s busiest bus line and demand continues
to grow as the District’s population continues to increase. The H St / Benning
Road streetcar project
is a 2‐mile
streetcar line operating in shared traffic lanes from from 1st Street
NE and H Street NE to the intersection of Benning Road NE and Oklahoma Avenue NE.
The line will connect Union Station to the H Street NE business district,
as well as the Benning Road business and residential area. It will have
seven stops. |
Initial work on the line took place as
part of the "Great Streets
Initiative", a multidisciplinary approach to corridor improvements
composed of public realm investments, strategic land use plans, public
safety strategies, and economic development assistance. It is a
partnership between multiple District government departments and offices
with six target corridors for
improvement. The Great Streets project
along H Street / Benning Road is a complete reconstruction of the right of way
from building face to building face. Given
the need to reconstruct H Street and Benning Road, and the need to construct
streetcar tracks, DDOT elected to pursue both projects simultaneously.
These projects comprise the first phase of streetcar construction. The second
phase of construction will complete an operable
streetcar line in the corridor, providing high‐capacity
and high‐quality
transit service to District residents.
The District’s investment in
transit infrastructure is intended to catalyze economic development in the emerging
commercial and residential corridor. DDOT anticipates the H St/ Benning Rd
Line will provide critical transportation linking Union Station with the
H Street and Benning Rd corridor providing a transit alternative to
overcrowded Metrobus lines while simultaneously linking low‐income
residents with critical social services and access to jobs in downtown
DC, the largest job center in the region.
The Benning Road component of the project began in December
2007 and is substantially complete. The H Street component began in
September 2008 and is scheduled for completion in 2011. Work includes
reconstruction of the travel lanes and parking areas with composite
pavements, new brick gutter and granite curbs; streetcar track
installation; sidewalk restoration; upgrading of pedestrian street
lighting and signals; installation of bulbouts, crosswalks, and wheel
chair ramps; landscaping upgrades; and a new pedestrian plaza.
Anacostia Initial Line Segment
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In
2009 DDOT initiated the construction of the 0.75 mile Anacostia
Initial Line Segment (AILS), with the goal of providing an
opportunity for the public to see and experience streetcar
vehicles in operation. The project connects the Navy Annex with
the Barry Farms Residential Area to Anacostia Metro Station. The
project also connects the streetcar to the first maintenance and
storage facility for the system east of the Potomac River. Check
out the Fullertography
Blog for continuing coverage of the line construction.
The original planning for this
line segment called for use of an existing rail right-of-way.
However, acceptable terms could not be reached with the owning
railroad and so the alignment was relocated into an in-street and
side-of-road alignment. The planned Anacostia Extension will link
the Initial Line Segment to the to the 11th St
Bridge, which will allow future streetcar extensions to cross the
Anacostia River to the developing Navy Yard/ Near Southeast
activity center and Capitol Hill.
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August
2011-
Another visit to DC provided a
chance to see some of the now completed construction along H
Street. This 
